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Empowering Telepractice: Insights from Co-Designing with Disability Customers and Clinicians

Empowering Telepractice: Insights from Co-Designing with Disability Customers and Clinicians

Telepractice has emerged as a critical mode of delivering therapy services, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to truly enhance the quality and accessibility of these services, it's essential to understand the experiences of those who use them. The research article "Co-designing a telepractice journey map with disability customers and clinicians: Partnering with users to understand challenges from their perspective" provides valuable insights into this process. Here, we explore how practitioners can implement these findings to improve their telepractice services.

Understanding the Journey Map

The study utilized a co-design methodology to create a journey map that outlines the telepractice experience from the perspectives of both customers and clinicians. This journey map is divided into five phases:

Each phase highlights the emotional experiences, strengths, and challenges faced by participants, providing a comprehensive view of the telepractice journey.

Key Findings and Implementation Strategies

1. Before: Awareness and Communication

Participants often felt stressed and confused before engaging with telepractice, primarily due to a lack of information. Practitioners can improve this by:

2. Selecting Telepractice: Reducing Apprehension

Many participants felt apprehensive when selecting telepractice, often due to the constraints imposed by the pandemic. To alleviate this:

3. Telepractice Preparation: Support and Confidence

Preparation involved setting up technology, receiving reminders, and logging in. Challenges included inconsistent reminders and technical difficulties. Practitioners can address these by:

4. During Telepractice Sessions: Building Relationships and Managing Technology

Participants initially felt uncomfortable building relationships via telepractice but grew more comfortable over time. Technology issues were a significant barrier. Strategies include:

5. After: Reflection and Feedback

Post-session reflections were generally positive, with participants appreciating the convenience of telepractice. However, communication between clinicians and families needed improvement. Practitioners should:

Conclusion

The co-designed journey map provides a valuable framework for understanding and improving the telepractice experience. By addressing the identified challenges and leveraging the strengths, practitioners can create more effective and user-friendly telepractice services. For those interested in delving deeper into the research, further exploration and implementation of co-design methodologies are encouraged.

To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Co-designing a telepractice journey map with disability customers and clinicians: Partnering with users to understand challenges from their perspective.


Citation: Benz, C., Scott-Jeffs, W., Revitt, J., Brabon, C., Fermanis, C., Hawkes, M., Keane, C., Dyke, R., Cooper, S., Locantro, M., Welsh, M., Norman, R., Hendrie, D., & Robinson, S. (2023). Co-designing a telepractice journey map with disability customers and clinicians: Partnering with users to understand challenges from their perspective. Health Expect, 27, e13919. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13919
Marnee Brick, President, TinyEYE Therapy Services

Author's Note: Marnee Brick, TinyEYE President, and her team collaborate to create our blogs. They share their insights and expertise in the field of Speech-Language Pathology, Online Therapy Services and Academic Research.

Connect with Marnee on LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest in Speech-Language Pathology and Online Therapy Services.

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in online therapy apply today!

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